‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’: An Ode to Friendzone (SPOLIERS)

“Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” is no different. Karan Johar’s latest movie opened amid much controversy and excitement to an overdose of friendship and a cheeseball of cliches. Are we complaining?

Maybe, a little bit.

Synopsis:

Ayan Sanger (Ranbir Kapoor) is a wannabe singer, rich kid who meets the eccentric and straight forward Alize (Anushka Sharma). They become friends but Ayan falls in love and Alize is done with love and wants to be friends.

All is well in this friendzone paradise (if there is ever any) until Anushka meets her ex Ali (Fawad Khan . Ali manages to convince her to give him a second chance. Ayan is stranded.

Alize invites Ayan to her wedding in Lucknow, he goes and tries to convince her of his love but is unsuccessful.

He later meets Aishwarya Rai, Sabah, and they start a casual steamy relationship where Sabah falls in love but Ayan is still pining for Alize. So Sabah breaks off and moves forward.

Ayan, meanwhile, becomes an internet sensation and meets Ali who tells him Alize has left him. He goes looking for her but finds out she is dying. So he takes over her care. They continue fighting over friends and no-something-more issue.

The Good

“Ae Dil Hai Muskil” is a saga of love and its various shades. The movie is seasoned with some brilliant performances and dialogues that endow more hipster wisdom than a Charles Bukowski or Sylvia Plath piece.

While Ranbir’s character embodied immaturity to the T and Anushka delivered her role adequately, Aishwarya’s screen presence is definitely the highlight of the movie. She makes an impact right from her first scene. She looks like a dream and adds an exquisite flavor to the otherwise bland storyline.

The soundtrack of the film is also one of the best things about the movie. A few surprising cameos bring a smile to your face.

The Bad

The narrative feels stretched and starts to get too predictable by the end. The story line feels stale and seems like a mishmash of “Three Idiots”, “Friends With Benefits” and the series “FRIENDS.”

Not to forget the “Rockstar” vibe of having to get your heart broken to make great music.

Karan Johar took a simple story and complicated it for no reason. The friendship dose was overdone and irritating, so much that you feel friendzoned by the movie itself. Ayan’s passion (if we can call it that) for Alize is childish and feels stupid.

Verdict

Despite its moments of brilliance, the movie struggles to keep up with expectations.

If you’re heartbroken, you’ll enjoy the dialogues of the movie. The music and Aishwarya Rai Bacchan are two other reasons for you to go watch “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.”